Voinovich, Club for Growth battle

Sen. George V. Voinovich blames the conservative Club for Growth group for the departure from the GOP of Sen. Arlen Specter - but the Club says Specter was helping bring down the "Republican brand."

Sen. George V. Voinovich blames the conservative Club for Growth group for the departure from the GOP of Sen. Arlen Specter - but the Club says Specter was helping bring down the "Republican brand."

Voinovich, the Ohio Republican who is retiring at the end of this year, at first indicated only that he was very disappointed by Specter's decision to become a Democrat rather than face probable defeat by conservative former Rep. Pat Toomey in the 2010 GOP primary in Pennsylvania. But he told Politico that the Club for Growth - formerly headed up by Toomey - was hurting moderate Republicans trying to survive in "blue" states such as Pennsylvania by subjecting them to litmus tests and targeting them for defeat if they don't satisfy every aspect of that litmus test.

He told Politico that the Club for Growth is "a big problem."

The Club for Growth's Andy Roth responded that the GOP has slumped because "people like Specter destroyed the Republican brand."

Toomey nearly beat Specter, a moderate long reviled by many conservatives for his stance on issues such as abortion and government spending, in a 2004 primary and the Club for Growth was targeting Specter again, especially after Specter voted in favor of the $787 billion stimulus package.